Mortal Kombat: Battle for Outworld
by Nathan C
Summary: My rendition of Onaga's defeat at the hands of the Black Dragon clan. Please review, any feedback is appreciated.


The night was dark. Darker than it should have been on a mid-summer's eve. The shadows within the abandoned Shaolin temple seemed to shift and flicker as if they were sentient things. It was deathly silent within, save for a distant chime blowing in the breeze.

Smoke entered The Hall of Prayers with caution, large pillars lined the hall and cast deep shadows on the walls. He felt as if the darkness was watching his every step, stalking him as a cat would stalk a mouse before pouncing. His opponent was in the room with him, of that he had no doubt, he could feel his presence like a drop of black ink in a still pond.

One of the shadows beside him seemed to move and he risked a cursory glance. In the time it took to turn his head a man as dark as night had appeared before him. He glared at Smoke with pale, dead eyes.

Smoke inclined his head in mutual respect towards his adversary. "Noob," he said, "stop running and fight me."

"You will not leave this place alive," Noob said in the rasping voice he knew so well.

"We shall see," said Smoke, dropping into a Mi Tzu stance.

Noob moved faster than the eye could follow, he lunged at Smoke and delivered a series of surgically accurate strikes that would have laid low any normal man. Smoke countered with the appropriate blocks and returned Noob's vicious attack with a spinning roundhouse to his torso. Noob grunted and backpedalled until he was standing in the shadow of a pillar.

"Not bad," said Noob.

Smoke didn't reply, instead he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

"But not good enough!" Noob created a black hole in the floor beneath him and fell through. In a fraction of a second he reached up out of the ground and grabbed Smoke's ankles. The two struggled, Noob trying to pull Smoke down and Smoke trying to break free of Noob's grasp. Smoke threw a ball of scalding steam at the ground, causing Noob to release his hold and sink back into the floor.

The temple fell silent.

"Show yourself coward!" shouted Smoke.

Noob came flying out of a the wall beside him and landed a heavy punch that knocked him flat on his back. The shadowy ninja followed through by leaping into the air and coming down to shatter Smoke's clavicle with a downwards stomp. Smoke dissipated into vapour at the last second and Noob's heel shattered the tiles where he'd been.

Smoke reappeared some distance away and began working his arms in complex patterns. By the time Noob thought to jump away it was too late, he was surrounded by a cloud of super-heated vapour.

Smoke smiled, knowing victory was at hand, "You lose," he said. The torrid cloud collapsed on Noob and began searing his skin. Noob cried out in pain and took a step forward. As his skin melted, his lower jaw separated from his skull and fell to the floor with a wet slap. The rest of his body followed suit, melting away from his bones as the intense heat ripped through his body. In less than a minute Noob had been reduced to a puddle of black blood and viscera.

Smoke allowed himself to relax. Perhaps it was too much to ask that Noob would stay dead this time, but it didn't hurt to hope. If the Lin Kuei had known that their student, Bi-Han in life, would become a wraith, they would have slain him instead of training him.

He turned towards the exit and was hit in the chest with a hammer nearly as big as he was. The blow sent him soaring through the air and crashing down onto a table of religious paraphernalia. Stars danced before his eyes and his lungs refused to work. Through bleary eyes he saw a massive figure with horns and bat wings looming over him.

"You're a fool to let your guard down, the fight is never over." The voice of the beast in front of him shook the floor and made the very air around them vibrate.

Smoke's vision cleared and he realized that he was dangling several feet off the ground, a scaly clawed hand was wrapped around his throat. The beast's yellow eyes bore into him like hot embers and its horns nearly scraped the ceiling.

"Onaga," he breathed. "What are you doing here?" There was no point in struggling now. Onaga, Dragon King and the true proclaimed ruler of Outworld, was not a being to be trifled with.

Onaga bared his fangs, "Congratulations, you killed one of Noob's doppelgangers."

Smoke looked to where he had slain Noob, the remains were gone. He cursed inwardly and swore not to make the same mistake again.

"And why I'm here is no concern of yours." Onaga rumbled, tightening his grip, "Needless to say, my presence is no longer necessary. So, what to do with you?"

"Release me and fight fairly," he gasped, fighting to keep his trachea from closing.

Onaga smirked, "I would gladly kill you, Smoke, but I have an offer for you."

"I'm listening."

Onaga loosened his grip enough so he could breath easier, but it wasn't out of compassion that he did so. Nothing the ruler of Outworld ever did was born of compassion. "Havik and Kabal have brought the Black Dragon clan to my realm. They plan to usurp me. I know of the contention between you and Havik, we share a common enemy."

Smoke didn't bother hiding his surprise, "You want my _help_?"

Onaga tightened his grip again, "Careful, I could just kill you now."

"Put me down!" said Smoke. The Dragon King reluctantly dropped him. "Yes, I want to destroy Havik as much as you do. Very well, I will fight with you, but not because I want to help _you_."

"Smart man," Onaga's eyes flared and a blazing portal sprang open before him. "Let's go."

Smoke glanced once more to the spot where he'd fought Noob and stepped through the portal.


End file.
